Saturday, August 22, 2015

Software : Mac Tips: How to change iTunes playlist view

Software : Mac Tips: How to change iTunes playlist view

Mac Tips: How to change iTunes playlist view

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Mac Tips: How to change iTunes playlist view

Got an Apple, Mac or iOS tech question? We have the answer. This time we have a reader whose playlists suddenly don't look the way they used to after upgrading to the latest revision of iTunes 12. It's not a bug; it's a feature! But if you don't like the new look, don't worry - you can change it back. Plus we've got some other advice for making iTunes playlists look the way you want them to.

Question

Some changes recently occurred with my Mac's iTunes music library when I updated. Usually my playlists show a list of all the songs, along with info like the artist, my rating, last time I played it, and number of plays. Now some (but not all) of my albums and playlists instead show the year of release and individual art but not some other info. Is there a way to change them back or make them all the same?

Answer

iTunes 12 introduced a new view for playlists, and many folks really like it, but for folks that are used to the old way, it can be pretty annoying. Fortunately, you can switch between the different styles, and it's fairly easy (albeit a bit of a hidden setting).

To change this setting, perform the following:

1. Select the playlist you want to change the appearance of.

2. In the selection bar (below the search box in the upper right), you'll see a drop-down that says something such as "Playlist" or "Songs."

3. Choose "Playlist" for the new view or "Songs" for the old view. If you're choosing "Songs," uncheck "Show Artwork" if previously checked.

iTunes Playlists

The drop-down lets you select other views as well, plus it allows you choose what info is shown in the "Songs" view (just click on the "Show Columns" drop-down). Additionally, when in Songs view, you can press Command + B to bring up the browser to filter through the various genres, artists, and albums contained in the playlist. Note that you will need to adjust the viewing style on each playlist manually, however, since there's not a change-all feature.

Got an Apple tech question? Email ask@maclife.com.

Chrome extensions on Firefox are happening

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Chrome extensions on Firefox are happening

Mozilla has announced some big changes for Firefox and soon the browser will pick up more extensions (or add-ons) once exclusive to Chrome and Opera.

In a blog post, Mozilla's Search and Add-on's developer Kev Needham announced Firefox will soon utilize a new extension API called WebExtensions. As it moves away from its old Electrolysis and Servo platforms, this will make it easier for developers to port their extensions designed for Chrome and Opera – which both use an API called Blink.

While it will ultimately be up to developer to actually bring their add-ons to Firefox, it's a big step forward for towards making the browser compatible with all extensions.

Unfortunately, this news comes as a double edged sword. The API switchover also means a large number of existing add-ons will not work with future versions of Firefox unless they're rewritten for WebExtensions.

However, developers will have plenty of time to update their code until the 12 to 18 month transition is complete. After that Mozilla expects to roll in the new API with Firefox 43, which is scheduled to release on December 15.

In the future, Mozilla also promises to take more steps in validating and signing every Add-on starting September 22. This way every extension will be fully vetted before users can even attempt to download and install them.
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